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Mike Henderson
12-08-2007, 4:11 PM
What do you recommend for an antivirus program? Has anyone used that Microsoft OneCare application? If so, what do you think of it?

Mike

Brad Olson
12-08-2007, 4:23 PM
Nod32 is good and efficient.

Whatever you do stay away from McAfee. It is a major resource hog. I have it on my laptop and even though I have a 3 year subscription, I will probably go to Nod32 like my other PC's

Todd Burch
12-08-2007, 4:55 PM
What do you recommend for an antivirus program?

MAC OS X.

Todd

Bonnie Campbell
12-08-2007, 5:12 PM
Grisoft has the free AVG anti-virus program.

Pete Simmons
12-08-2007, 5:20 PM
free AVG anti-virus program.

I use AVG on 1 computer. It may do its job but I do not like it.

I seem to have NO control of it. Like when, which disk and if, it will scan the disks. Maybe I can pay them something and get control but I have not explored that option.


Anxious to see what others think is a good one.

John Hain
12-08-2007, 5:32 PM
I use PC-CILLIN. I've tried many programs over the last few years and PC-cillin is the only one that works well and does annoy me by bogging up the computer's resources.

Glenn Clabo
12-08-2007, 5:35 PM
Instigator...;)

Larry Browning
12-08-2007, 5:44 PM
I gave up on the pay versions of AV software. There are several free versions that are actually BETTER than what you pay for. The 3 leading free are AVG, Avast and Comodo. Vendors like McAfee and Norton seem to think if they add "features" to the for pay versions that are not available in free versions that they can get you to pay. These so called "features" only add bloat to you system. Both Norton and McAfee do this to extreme and almost always slow your computer considerably. However, if you think you need to pay for AV software, PCcillion or Panda are both pretty good.
Both AVG and Avast have "pro" versions that you can pay for if you choose (which I have done) but it is not really necessary.

Rick Gifford
12-08-2007, 6:41 PM
I have to constantly fix computers that have Mcafee installed. Its a pain.

I like Nortons. It does a good job.

Dennis Peacock
12-08-2007, 7:02 PM
What do you recommend for an antivirus program? Has anyone used that Microsoft OneCare application? If so, what do you think of it?

Mike

Due to Norton causing many issues on my machine(and I've used Norton for Years), I switched over to Microsoft OneCare and I like it a LOT better. It's much more seamless than Norton, and works well with Vista and XP. $49.95 per year covers licensing and PC protection for up to 3 machines.

Brian Weick
12-08-2007, 7:25 PM
very honest application and easy to use- includes all 4 features of protection- my friends PC went on him- the HD- we think it is because of one of the 149 infections and 6 Trojans that he let in the door unknowingly - this removed all of them and a few more , but unfortunately it was to late-So it's $39.00 but well worth the protection. you can run the hyperlink below and order from there if you like the product- office depot also carries spydoctor as well- same price, just run the hyperlink to see what or if you have any infections- it will find them- but will not delete them until you buy the copy - we tested the honesty of this program- I have CA security and have no infections- nothing ,and when we ran it on my system it came up with a big goose egg- so - they are not messing around by putting pseudo viruses on your computer and are legitimate in our opinion. it does everything they have to say about their product and did a great job of cleaning a messy PC up.
http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/reviews/?ref=google_reviews2&gclid=CKDVi_rpmZACFQOCZAodBxjZ7w
Brian

Denny Rice
12-08-2007, 7:32 PM
What do you recommend for an antivirus program? Has anyone used that Microsoft OneCare application? If so, what do you think of it?

Mike

I have to agree with Todd on this one....OS X is the bomb! I have used nothing but Apple products since the early 90's (1992) and have never owned a PC in my home. Never had a virus.:)

Brian Weick
12-08-2007, 7:50 PM
is invulnerable to receiving a virus - I think the question in this thread is what anti-virus software would we recommend to use or are using at the moment. what operating system should I use was not mentioned in this thread? we all have a preference for certain PC's understandably- but it's a matter of personal preference- :)

FYI~ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12537279/

Brian

Mike Henderson
12-08-2007, 8:19 PM
is invulnerable to receiving a virus - I think the question in this thread is what anti-virus software would we recommend to use or are using at the moment. what operating system should I use was not mentioned in this thread? we all have a preference for certain PC's understandably- but it's a matter of personal preference- :)

FYI~ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12537279/

Brian
Sorry - I'm running Vista Home Premium on an IBM heritage laptop PC. Any anti-virus software recommendations for that OS is what I'm looking for.

Mike

Jim Becker
12-08-2007, 8:50 PM
AVG is my recommendation and it's not a system pig

Curt Harms
12-08-2007, 9:47 PM
Sorry - I'm running Vista Home Premium on an IBM heritage laptop PC. Any anti-virus software recommendations for that OS is what I'm looking for.

Mike

I run Avast on a couple PC's and it seems to not cause problems and doesn't seem to be a system pig. It did warn about an attack one time but didn't let the malware be malicious. I also just bought Fix-It utilities which includes Trend Micro Antivirus. It's more of a pain--I normally work from a restricted account. I need to be logged on as administrator to update the virus and spyware updates. I could change the permissions on the restricted account but it seems to me that would nullify the advantage of a restricted account. Avast will automatically download updates even when logged on as a restricted user.

HTH

Curt

Lee Schierer
12-08-2007, 10:06 PM
I highly recommend F-prot. I've used it for over 10 years starting in Windows 3.1 and it has never failed to protect my computer. The annual fee also gives you all the updates and the program never gets out of date even as you upgrade your system. It isn't a resource hog, in fact you rarely can tell if it is running.

Matt Crew
12-08-2007, 10:07 PM
I've got 3 laptops and 1 desktop to deal with and have AVG free on all of them.
One of the laptops has Vista for an OS, and AVG has a version for Vista, but at the time I loaded it the AVG antispyware was not compatable. So I use Adaware for the antispyware. They both work very well and automatically update for free.
The only thing about the free version is that it is set up to automatically run a virus scan at 8:00 am. You can't change this with the free version, but you can if you choose to buy it.
I have repaired a few computers buy loading AVG free on to them and running a scan. Fixed one that had Mcafee on it, and all Mcafee did was direct him to buy additional software to get rid of the virus.
Hope this helps.

Scott Hooker
12-08-2007, 10:12 PM
I agree with Todd Birch!

I've been running Macs since 1986 and have NEVER had to buy antivirus protection..... Hmmmm.

The same company that now dominates the MP3 world has been making the most stable personal computer platform in history! Switch and you'll wonder why you stayed with Windows so long!

FWIW, I had to buy a Windows machine (a Dell) to run a program for my business. It took me 2 1/2 hours, with a technician from HP on the line, to hook up the HP printer that it literally took me 10 minutes to configure to run on OSX! My question is: Why Bother? Life is too short to be spending all your time on the phone with tech support! Buy a Mac and never look back!

Scott

glenn bradley
12-08-2007, 10:19 PM
MAC OS X.

Todd

Don't kid yourself ;-)

glenn bradley
12-08-2007, 10:26 PM
I've run licensed Norton AV for many years. I think I've gotten hit 2 or 3 times in the last 7 years or so. As my job takes my connectivity where few go, my exposure is much greater than an average user.

Most problems with AV products come from improper setup for YOUR requirements. The defaults and 'generalized' profiles don't cut it. Assess your online habits and tailor the product of your choice to fit. Every now and then, one will get in under the wire on me (like Nimda a few years back). Being a licensed user I received the fix and full instructions within 24 hours of being hit. The other couple times (its been a while . . . 1 maybe 2 times) a simple "Live Update" cleaned everything up.

I was on a job where the company ran McAfee for about a year and they seemed to have issues (I kept my own Norton license). We tried Sophos in the University System but, one thing about Universities . . . they're full of clever kids and Sophos wasn't up to the challenge and had a high administrative impact (read - "pain to keep current").

If it ain't broke, don't fix it . . so I'm still on Norton. No association. I've just watched folks change AV software like socks over the years and I just keep plugging along.

Denny Rice
12-08-2007, 10:27 PM
I agree with Todd Birch!

I've been running Macs since 1986 and have NEVER had to buy antivirus protection..... Hmmmm.

The same company that now dominates the MP3 world has been making the most stable personal computer platform in history! Switch and you'll wonder why you stayed with Windows so long!

FWIW, I had to buy a Windows machine (a Dell) to run a program for my business. It took me 2 1/2 hours, with a technician from HP on the line, to hook up the HP printer that it literally took me 10 minutes to configure to run on OSX! My question is: Why Bother? Life is too short to be spending all your time on the phone with tech support! Buy a Mac and never look back!

Scott

If you own a "newer" Apple product... The ones with the new Intel chip, there are people on the internet that are saying you can take a PC with the Intel chip and load and run Mac OS X on a PC, and throw "windows" out the window!

Daivd Drickhamer
12-08-2007, 10:42 PM
I've been using the free AVG for years on all my computers (4) and like it. I have it set up to do an auto update every morning. I know it works because it has found and taken care of viruses.
A good firewall is also a must. Try ZoneAlarm. It's also free.

Ken Fitzgerald
12-08-2007, 10:49 PM
I use Zonealarm Pro.

I started out using the free version of Zonealarm as a firewall and later after I got frustrated with Norton, I went to Zonealarm Pro which has a anti-virus and anti-spyware. It's the cat's meow!

David G Baker
12-09-2007, 12:42 AM
Zone Alarm Security Suite for 4 years now. Used McAfee for several years and hated the update system. Used Norton for quite a while but had problems with it conflicting with other AV software's hidden files that I couldn't locate and remove. Switched to the free Zone Alarm and got rid of all of the hated pop-ups. That made me a loyal follower. Now I subscribe to two years at a time for 2 computers.

Cliff Rohrabacher
12-09-2007, 11:16 AM
Norton.
firewall and internet security and antivirus.

For a while Norton went through a buggy period when the product could not be removed from your system you'd spend days in RegEdit clearing your registry keys. Then you'd learn to make a Norton Free copy of the registry and keep that for a registry back up. Finally Norton made a removal tool that works.

Scott Shepherd
12-09-2007, 11:31 AM
I've used AVG for years with no real issues. I do believe the constantly highly rated one is pc-cillin from Trend Micro. They also have a free online scanner that's top notch as well.

I've never used their installed product, but people I know in IT departments always seem to run this on their personal stuff. Might be worth a look. Google for Trend Micro and you'll find it.

Brian, nice link, so what's that make the numbers, Virus for Mac's -1, PC's -60,000,000 ;) Hardly anything to brag about :)

Brian Weick
12-09-2007, 11:57 AM
I've used AVG for years with no real issues. I do believe the constantly highly rated one is pc-cillin from Trend Micro. They also have a free online scanner that's top notch as well.

I've never used their installed product, but people I know in IT departments always seem to run this on their personal stuff. Might be worth a look. Google for Trend Micro and you'll find it.

Brian, nice link, so what's that make the numbers, Virus for Mac's -1, PC's -60,000,000 ;) Hardly anything to brag about :)

Bragging? I don't think you and I are on the same page. for me to sit here and say get a HPDV6000 and you'll never look back would be a foolish comment. my point was there are +/- to every computer and operating system- Mac's have this, PC's don't . PC's have this and Mac's don't- it goes on and on and on- I am in no means familiar entirely with Mac's at all- very nice Computers, very nice indeed.. and i have used them- the graphics are very clear and I was impressed with the Mac- very much! It is up to the individual to take a look at all and make an educated decision at that point. I wouldn't mind owning a Mac at all- they are very good for any graphics and publication documents- very well done - to me, again , this is my opinion- the software for Mac's are expensive and that was the draw back for me-along with IT transferring information - most businesses and individuals have PC's because of the transfer of information on the net ~ http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=713877#post713877

I don't think my laptop is better than any other out there on the market - if anything it is pretty basic- but that's what I was after - economically easy to update,add software and just do what I ask of it without going insane with problems just getting things to work. Just my opinion Scott, that's all- I wish I had your Mac's graphics -honestly- but that comes with a price and some limitations to me. :)
Have a great day Scott ~ :)
football day!-yee haa,
Brian

Scott Shepherd
12-09-2007, 12:23 PM
It was a joke Brian, hence the smiley face :)

I don't own a Mac either, so my Mac has no graphics :)

Anthony Anderson
12-09-2007, 1:33 PM
AVG is a great Anti Virus program, from my experience. They are at grisoft.com. Free or paid version. We used to have Norton then McAfee before downloading AVG. Never had a problem since AVG. Good Luck, Bill

Todd Burch
12-09-2007, 4:56 PM
I have AVG free on my Windows machine. It's "ok". AVG free does nothing to stop or prevent a BHO (browser helper object) from installing itself. You have to upgrade to AVG pro to get BHO support.

Todd

Matt Meiser
12-09-2007, 5:53 PM
I switched to AVG Free on all my home PCs about 2 years ago.

Every year Norton seemed to get more and more bloated. The final straw was when it wouldn't stay registered and they finally locked out my licenses. They accused me of violating the license even though I had purchased two licenses and had two machines. It took arguing with a supervisor at tech support to get them unlocked. My work PC has Norton--I forgot how slow it makes the machine until I got it. Ours has the Norton Systemworks junk on it too. The One Click Cleanup feature was deleting all my cookies every week until I told it not to. I couldn't find a way to tell it to exclude certain cookies. I heard we are evaluating alternatives and as our licenses expire, we'll be switching to something new.

I tried the CA Antivirus on one machine via their 1 year free trial offer. They started spamming me with ads several times a week--even when I unsubscribed they continued. At least I was able to train GMail to handle it as spam. Never again.

Where I used to work we switched from Norton to Trend which seemed to be pretty good. One of my customers (a very large pharma/chemical company) has used Trend for years as well and other than an issue with one specific piece of software (industrial HMI software--nothing anyone is going to be running on their home PC) it seems pretty good.

Randy Klein
12-09-2007, 9:11 PM
I use Kaspersky. Low resource usage and fast and frequent definition updates.

I have used both Norton and McAffee. They are resource hogs.

Frank Hagan
12-11-2007, 1:48 PM
I have experience with Norton and McAfee "suites", and used to like Norton (up until the last non-bloated version in 2003). The suites typically pair one good function, such as anti-virus, with several not-so-good implementations of the other functions (spyware protection, etc.) Norton got so hard to remove from the computers I was working on that I started wondering what the real virus was ...

I think its better to try and find the programs that work the best for your type of activity to cover you in terms of viruses, spyware, and hacker attempts. Anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewalls are the usual solutions.

I now use Avast! free anti-virus. Its a pretty complete anti-virus program, with options to scan email, remain resident, etc. I also use Windows Defender from MS, and Spybot Search-and-destroy for adware (both seem to get 100% of it, but neither one alone does). I have a router that I connect my PCs through, and use the hardware firewall in the router; that's a better solution IMO than using a software firewall.

This solution gives me much less overhead than using an all-in-one suite, and it works for me. I've had very good luck with Avast; my only infection came while protected by Norton, but it was a new variant that got me before the update protected me, which can happen with any program.

Jim Becker
12-11-2007, 2:14 PM
and use the hardware firewall in the router; that's a better solution IMO than using a software firewall.

The hardware firewall does not protect you from outgoing activities, such as those caused by Trojan horses, spyware, etc. The hardware firewall only protects from probing from outside of your local network. Ideally, one should use both, IMHO.

David G Baker
12-11-2007, 3:56 PM
Frank,
The reason I stopped using Norton is the same reason you gave. I have had good luck with ZoneAlarm Security Suite, the only problem I have had since installing it is when I down loaded IE7. IE7 caused me major problems.

Dave Hale
12-11-2007, 7:38 PM
ZASS (Zone Alarm Security Suite) paid version for me. After the pains with Norton in '03 and dealing with McAfee at work, ZASS was essentially a non-event. I haven't had one virus, malware, etc since I got it. There was a period 6 months ago they had an issue with Outlook Express, but it was resolved in a couple of weeks. I think when I got it, it was top-rated from PC Magazine. It might be good for you to look at the reviews and see what's changed.

Frank Hagan
12-11-2007, 11:16 PM
The hardware firewall does not protect you from outgoing activities, such as those caused by Trojan horses, spyware, etc. The hardware firewall only protects from probing from outside of your local network. Ideally, one should use both, IMHO.

Hmmm ... looks like I'll have to reconsider this part of my "arsenal". Windows Defender does do some of that ... requiring permission for any outgoing contact from the computer (Southwest Airlines "Ding" program, which pings their server for deals, is an example of one it thinks might be a trojan). But its probably not as complete as a 4 billion gigabyte software suite that also makes coffee in the morning.

I've about decided to move over to a Mac for my home computer next time because of the nonsense required to maintain a Windows computer. The only thing Microsoft could make that wouldn't suck would be a vacuum cleaner. ;)

Either that, or go with a free version of Linux and play with the OS security on a lower-level.

Jim Becker
12-12-2007, 10:32 AM
Windows Defender on Vista is reportedly more capable, but woefully inadequate on Win XP. (but better than nothing) ZoneAlarm gets my nod as a replacement.

Frank Hagan
12-13-2007, 1:48 AM
Windows Defender on Vista is reportedly more capable, but woefully inadequate on Win XP. (but better than nothing) ZoneAlarm gets my nod as a replacement.

I had some kind of log or data file corruption problems with ZoneAlarm that would cause a general system slowdown, requiring re-installation periodically. It drove me nuts until I found out what it was. Windows Defender really isn't for the same thing ... but it has been good at finding spyware (its built on the old Giant code, I think). But I'll take a look at ZoneAlarm again.

Jim W. White
12-14-2007, 1:22 PM
Mike,

I'm evaluating Microsoft Onecare on two PCs at home right now. With 2 months experience all I can say is that it seems to update definitions well and it's scheduling is pretty straight forward but it's extremely slow ...and generally unimpressive from a features/user interface standpoint. It was drop-dead cheap though, so I'm giving it a go for a while. ($10 at Costco after instant rebate with use on multiple systems!!)

I'm an X long-standing Norton user. I don't see myself ever going back to them. It's sad to see a software company go that far astray after being the industry leader for so many years.

Jim in Idaho

I found the information on this site very informative:

http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/kaspersky-review.html

based on they're information, I'lll probably go with the Kapersky software if/when the OneCall doesn't work out.